Weddings, Blessings, and Baptisms

Weddings

Congratulations on your engagement – we hope it’s a happy time of planning and preparation.

You may now be wondering whether Lincoln Chapel is a suitable venue for your marriage service. Here are some details:

A couple can be married in Lincoln College Chapel if a minimum of one of the couple is:

A current Fellow, student or member of staff

A former Fellow or student of the College

Those with other connections – for instance, the close family of current members of College – may be accommodated. Please ask.

Here is some practical information to help you plan:

All marriages performed in Chapel are conducted by Special Licence. This is granted entirely at the discretion of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Licences are normally granted if you are a Fellow, student, former student, or member of staff (teaching or non-teaching) in the College. The Chaplain can offer detailed guidance on the license application. More details may be found here.

There must be an existing or continuous relationship with the College to qualify for a license. Couples often come to Chapel services in the run-up to their marriage.

The Chaplain will advise of marriage preparation arrangements and an appropriate order of service for your needs.

The capacity of the Chapel is 80 people.

It is often possible to book the organist, choir or solo singers for your wedding.

In order to ensure Chapel can be available for regular wedding dates, no receptions of any kind are held in College.

Dates and fees for marriages are set in advance – please get in touch to find out about dates for 2017.

Please contact the Chaplainwith initial inquiries – she will be delighted to help you, whether or not Lincoln Chapel turns out to be the right choice for you. And we hope it will.

Blessings

We are very happy to offer Blessing Services in Chapel for civil marriages that have taken place elsewhere. No license is needed. Fellows, students, staff and alumni are eligible.

Same-sex couples, whether married or in civil partnerships, should contact the Chaplain who will be glad to discuss the options.

The Chaplain can help with devising an order of service and with choice of music and readings – get in touch.

Baptisms

Many people wish to celebrate the gift of a child with the sacrament of Baptism (also known as Christening). Through Baptism, a child becomes a member of the Church, the body of Christ. The family and friends of the child promise to help him or her grow up as a Christian.

Baptisms may be conducted in Chapel for children born to, or adopted by, the following:

A current Fellow, student or member of staff

A former Fellow or student of the College

Those with other connections – for instance, the close family of current members of College – may be accommodated. Please ask.

The Chaplain will be delighted to meet you and discuss your hopes for your child and the meaning of growing up as a Christian today. However, please be aware that the life of the College Chapel is designed for staff and students to worship together as a community. Its pattern of services and activities is not suitable for the nurture of little Christians! For this reason, those wishing to have their child baptised here will need to have other arrangements in place for regular worship in a parish church or similar.

You do not need to be Anglican to have your child baptised in Chapel. With rare exceptions (e.g. Mormons) Christians of all denominations recognise Baptisms conducted according to the rites of the Church of England.